China floods leave 163 dead, 187 missing

XI'AN, China, July 26 (UPI) -- Heavy flooding in neighboring provinces in north-central China has left at least 163 people dead and 187 missing, authorities said Monday.

A spokesman for Henan province's flood-control headquarters said 52 people had died and 20 were missing in the flooding that followed torrential rains during the weekend, Xinhua reported.

The flooding forced officials to temporarily close the World Heritage site Longmen Grottoes, a popular tourist spot visited by more than 5,000 people a day, the state-run Chinese news service said.

The casualties in Henan province came a day after authorities said 11 days of flooding had left 111 people dead and 167 others missing in neighboring Shaanxi province. The high water there affected about 4.2 million people, including 703,000 who were evacuated from their homes.

Provincial authorities said more than half of the dead -- 63 -- and most of the missing -- 119 -- were in Ankang City, Xinhua said.